I suppose there’s "nothing new in fly tying " but would like to compliment FishnNick on the little maneuver of tying the wingcase folded over from the front.
I had not seen that before [at least I don’t remember if I did]
I’ve tied a few of the FOTW and some variations…peacock thorax, copper rib whatever you want…and I have purposely crowded the eye and with that maneuver it’s hardly an issue…if it’s really crowded a little push with a half hitch tool takes care of it…
seems to me even if one were doing a more complicated ty and not using art of the tail… tying in on the shank with the wingcase facing forward and later folding from there is neat.
I like the FOTW, too. Nice and simple and a technique that will give nice results with lots of different materials. In fact, for fun while tying traditional woolly worms last night, I used the red wool for the tail and wingcase, and green chenille for the body. Heck, if a green weenie will work, so will this!
What I like most about Nick’s process,is that he had a problem (eye crowding) and came up with a pattern he liked which solved the problem. Also, he avoids my constant dilemma: to use head cement or not? In Nick’s fly there is no head to cement!
Not to bash Nick, because he arrived at an approach which serves his purpose and I applaud him for it, but rather than solution I would term it a workaround.
The problem was eye crowding. The solution is to proportion the fly such that the eye does not get crowded.
The folding back of the wing case material leaves a vulnerable area just at the eye of the hook. If one uses this approach, I would suggest a couple thread turns at the eye (between the folded-back material and the eye). These couple turns, insignificant as they may be seen, result in a more durable fly.
Been there, done that, and had chewed up flies as proof.
A second result of the approach is mostly an aestetic one, but one which may or may not be considered a bit of an eyesore by the tier him or her-self, and that is the band of thread behind the thorax.
Nick did solve his problem on the short term, but as his tying progresses he will always have the proportion problem unless he works on it now.
Proper proportions should be something you start applying even with the first fly you tie and eventually should be a built in instinct that you really don’t think about when your tying. The way to get there is tying LOTS of flies correctly.
I applaud Nick’s ablility to adapt and overcome, that tells me he is on is way to being a great flytyer.
Donald Nicolson, sent me a email, with this picture attachment. I forwarded the email to Lady Fisher, and she convinced Donald to do a Just Old Flies article from, G.E.M Skues 1910 book “Minor Tactics of the Chalk Stream”
